Wrench



M. W. EMMETT Aug. 9, 1932.

WRENCH Filed Aug. 24, 1929 fl'a. 2

.FIG. 1

INVENTOR. M4 704 I4. EMA/E r7 a 607mm ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 9, 1932 MILTON W. EMMETT,

OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO EMMETT WRENCH COMPANY, A CORPORAT'ION'OF WASHINGTON wnnnon Application filed August 24, 1929. Serial No. 388,056.

My invention relates to wrenches, and the objects of my present invention are: first, to rovide an adjustable wrench in which adusting screws are eliminated; second, to provide an adjustable wrench in which the ad justable jaws are fixed and rigid when adjusted relative to each other to the desired distance; third, toprovide a wrench of this class whereby minute adjustments may be made without adjusting screw means, and a wrench of this class whereby sufficiently minute adjustments may be made for all practical purposes; fourth, to provide a wrench of this class in which the adjustable or movable jaw is controlled by novel gear and ratchet means in such a manner that the movable jaw may be held in fixed position relative to the fixed aw by pawl means engaging the teeth of the ratchet of the gear and ratchet means; fifth, to provide a gear and ratchet means in which the ratchet is of considerably larger diameter than the gear to which it is connected so that a large speed and power ratio may be had between the means for holding the ratchet and the gear connected with the movable jaw; thus permitting relatively large spacing of the ratchet teeth for very small movement of the movable jaw for each tooth of the ratchet, and permitting relatively light construction of the ratchet and pawl means in proportion to the load or force exerted against the movable jaw; sixth, to provide a wrench of this class which may be very easily and quickly and substantially instantaneously opened and closed; seventh, to provide a wrench of this class in which the operating or controlling parts or members are substantially enclosed and excluded from moisture, grit, and other foreign matter; eighth, to provide a novel arrangement or springs in a wrench of this class for normally separating the jaws and also for holding the pawl in place against the ratchet, and which springs may be readily removed and replaced by others when wornor broken; ninth: to provide as a whole a novelly constructed, operated-and controlled wrench of this class; and, tenth, to provide a wrench of this class which is particularly simple and economical of construction, durable, efficient,

easy to operate and which will not readily deteriorate or get out of order.

WVith these and other objects in view, as will appear hereinafter, my invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions, as will be hereinafter described in detail and particularly set forth in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the characters of reference thereon which form a part of this application in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side view of an open end wrench embodying my present invention in one form, and showing certain parts thereof broken away to facilitate the illustration; Fig. 2 is an edge view thereof; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional View thereof taken through 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a side View on a reduced scale showing the construction of the cover for the wrench; Fig. 5 is a side view on a reduced scale of the movable jaw; and, Fig. 6 is an inner end view thereof.

Like characters of reference refer to similar parts and portions throughout the views of the drawing.

The wrench shown in the drawing is simi; lar in shape to ordinary adjustable wrenches now in use, except that the body is slightly enlarged and that all adjusting means are wholly enclosed within the body.

The body of my wrench, designated 1 in the drawing, is of flat construction and is provided at one end or side with a handle 2 of any suitable construction and at the side of the body 1 opposite the handle 2 with a fixed aw 3. One of the flat sides of the body is provided with a cut out portion or recess 1a forming the open side of the body. Over this cut out portion or recess is secured a plate at by means of a plurality of screws 5. At the side or edge of the body 1 at which the fixed jaw 3 is positioned, there is provided a transverse channel 11) extending parallel to said edge and open at said edge. At the side or edge of the body at which the fixed jaw 3 is positioned, and in opposed relation thereto, is reciprocally mounted the movable jaw 6 which is adapted to close against the fixed jaw. This movable jaw is provided with a long tongue 7 which ex tends into and is positioned longitudinally with respect to the channel and is held in place therein by the plate 4. The movable jaw is prevented from being withdrawn from the end of the wrench or from the channel 1?), when the plate 4 is secured in position, by means of an enlarged portion 7 a at one side of the lower portion of the tongue 7, this enlarged portion forming a shoulder and engaging a corresponding shoulder within the channel of the body.

Within the body is a recess 1d in which is positioned a gear 8 and a pinion 9, the gear being rotatably mounted on a stud 16 within the recess 1d and extending outwardly toward the plate 4, and the pinion 9, preferably provided with integral portions or studs 9a and 96, being rotatably mounted in recesses in the body 1 and the plate 4, as shown best in Fig. 3. The gear 8 extends through a restricted opening 1 which connects the recess 1d with the channel 1b, and engages rack teeth 10 at the under side of the tongue 7. These teeth are closely positioned to the bottom of the channel so as to substantially engage the same to prevent water, grit, and other foreign substances from passing into the interior of the body.

Outwardly from the recess 1d in which the gears are positioned is another and larger recess 19 in which is positioned a large ratchet wheel 11. This ratchet wheel is relatively 0 thin and is mounted on and keyed to the bearing portion or stud or hub of the pinion 9, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the ratchet wheel being keyed to the pinion by a key 12.

At one side of the ratchet wheel 11, and preferably in an extended portion of the recess 19, is pivotally mounted a pawl 13 which is secured to one end of a pin 14 which extends backwardly from the recess through the body into a recess 1k at the back side of the body, as shown in F ig. 2 and by dotted lines in Fig. 1. In this recess 1h is positioned a small lever 15 which is secured to the pin 14 extending into the recess 1h. The pawl engages the teeth of the ratchet wheel 11 and is normally held in engagement therewith by a spring 16 positioned in a recess 1i communicating with the enlarged portion of the recess 1g and also with the end of the channel at which the fixed jaw is positioned. Thus, when outward force is exerted on the movable jaw 6, the pawl 13 prevents the ratchet wheel 11 from rotating against the pawl and prevents the movable jaw from opening farther, but when the lever 15 is forced inwardly with slight pressure by the finger of the hand handling the wrench against the compression of the spring 16, the pawl will be disengaged from the ratchet wheel and the movable jaw will be forced outwardly.

The jaws are normally separated by a com.-

pression spring 17 which is positioned within the channel 1?) against a shoulder beneath the fixed jaw and which is positioned with its other end within a deep hole 7b within the inner end of the tongue 7. The shoulder, above referred to, and against which one end of the spring is positioned, is a removable member 18 which is secured over the otherwise open end of the channel 1b below the fixed aw. This removable member 18 is held in position by screws 19. At the inner side of the removable member 18 is secured one end of a tube 20, which tube extends around and encloses the compression spring 17 and also extends into the hole 7b in the tongue 7. Thus the spring 17 is enclosed at all times, but the efiiclency of the is not thereby detracted since the tube is permitted freely to extend into the hole 71 when the jaws are forced together. This removable block 18 also retains the spring 16 in position. Thus, when either of the springs become broken or worn, the two screws 19 may be removed easily permitting ready access toboth of thesprings.

In order to prevent the movable jaw 6 from being forced from the channel in the body of the wrench, I have provided a stop 1; at the end of the channel opposite the fixed jaw. The stop 1; also serves as a boss 8 against which the plate 4 may be positioned and through which one of the screws 5 may extend for securing the plate 4 to the body 1.

Though I have shown and described a particular construction, combination and ar- #0 rangement of parts and portions, I do not wish to be limited to this particular construction, combination and arrangement but desire to include in the scope of my invention the construction, comb nation and arrange- 1195 ment substantially as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a wrench, a body having a fixed jaw thereon, a movable jaw reciprocally mounted on the body with respect to the fixed jaw, a gear rack in association with the movable jaw, a gear rotatably mounted on the bod in engagement with the rack, a ratchet mom er, reduction ar means connecting the ratchet member with the gear whereby the latter r0- tates slower than the former, and a pawl mounted on the body in engagement with the teeth of the ratchet member.

2. In a wrench, a body having a fixed jaw thereon, a movable jaw reciprocally mounted on the body with respect to the fixed jaw, a gear rack in association with the movable jaw, a gear rotatably mounted on the body in engagement with the rack, a pinion rotatably mounted on the body and meshing with said gear, a ratchet wheel of larger diameter than said pinion, coaxial with said pinion and secured thereto, and a pawl on the body in engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel.

3. In a wrench, a body having a fixed jaw thereon, a movable jaw reciprocally mounted on the body with respect to the fixed jaw, a gear rack in association with the movable jaw, a gear rotatably mounted on the body in engagement with the rack, a pinion rotatably mounted on the body and meshing with said gear, a ratchet wheel of larger diameter than said pinion, coaxial with said pinion and secured thereto, a pawl pivotally mounted on the body with its free end yieldably in engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel, and a lever on the outside of the body separate from but coaxial with the pivotal axis of the pawl and rigidly connected therewith.

l. In awrench, a body having a fixed jaw at one end of one side and a handle at the opposite side, said body having a channel in the side of the body provided with the jaw, said channel extending below said jaw, a movable jaw provided with a tongue reciprocally mounted in said channel, a coil spring positioned within said channel with its opposite ends extending respectively within a recess in the body and a deep recess in the innor end of the tongue, and a tube enclosing the coil spring, one end of the tube being secured in the recess of the body and the other being telescopically extended into the recess in the tongue.

5. In a wrench, a wrench body having a fixed jaw at one end of one edge, said body having a channel in said edge extending with one end below said jaw, and also having a recess in said body communicating with said channel, said channel and said recess being open at one side, a movable jaw having a tongue reciprocally mounted in said channel and provided with gear teeth at the side of the channel communicating with said recess, gear and ratchet means positioned in said recess and operatively connected to the gear teeth of the movable jaw, a plate secured over the open sides of the channel and the gear and ratchet means, a spring positioned within the channel with one end ext nding into the tongue of said movable jaw. a pawl positioned withi the recess of the body in engagement with the teeth of the toothed ratchet member of the ratchet and pawl means, a spring within the body in engagement with the pawl, said last mentioned spring being positioned in a recess communicating with said channel, and a readily removable plug at one end of the channel adapted to be readily removed for removing said springs.

6. In a wrench, a body having a fixed jaw at one end of one side and a handle at the opposite side, said body having a channel in the side of the body rovided with the jaw, a movable aw having a tongue reciprocally mounted in said channel, a spring positioned in said channel with one end extending into the end of the tongue, a removable plug secured to said body at the end of the channel adjacent the fixed jaw for retaining said spring in position, and a tube enclosing the spring and extending into the tongue.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California this 25th day of July 1929.

MILTON IV. EMMETT. 

